Zoning board to take up village center proposal

News-Times, The (Danbury, CT), Nanci G. Hutson THE NEWS-TIMES

Published 1:00 am, Tuesday, February 21, 2006

NEW MILFORD - Harold Kelley wants to bring a European flair and renewed vitality to the village center with a specialty shop, digital photo gallery and condominium complex that he hopes will preserve three historic buildings on the corner of Church and East streets.

But the proposal rests in the hands of town zoners who will debate Kelley's plans at a special
Zoning Commission
meeting tonight. A final decision is not required until March 14.
In recent weeks, commissioners have discussed Kelley's proposed project, and despite support from Mayor
Patricia Murphy
and local preservationists, they have their doubts.
Some are concerned about the project's size, parking availability and whether the condos meet the town's village center zoning regulations.
Yet Kelley still has high hopes. He suggested there are compromises that could erase the commission's fears and allow the proposal to go forward.
"What we're trying to do is a mixed-use project that would bring culture, vitality, life and people to this side of the village center," Kelley said.
In the proposal, the three buildings would be linked and expanded to include a central digital photography gallery, a 100-seat restaurant and several small specialty shops, such as a chocolate shop, a florist, winery, hair salon and spa, and a place that sells camera equipment, on the first floor. The upper floors would house 15 one- and two-bedroom condominiums, three of them townhouse style with lofts and the others single-level ranging from 700 square feet to 1,600 square feet. The project also would include a 15-space underground parking garage.
"We'd be bringing a little bit of Europe to this country," Kelley said, noting that he envisions that this would increase foot traffic throughout downtown and create a place for local artists to exhibit their work.
In a traffic study, Kelley said they found that even during peak hours there are at least 200 parking spaces available around the village center and often more. He said people would see it as a destination as they did other downtown shopping and errands.
Kelley said his interest in this corner is not just to build some stores and condominiums, but to create a downtown hub that preserves the town's heritage by attracting people from other places to visit.
"I can see a whole arts community springing up around the village center," Kelley said. "We believe it's a great project."